Sustainable Material Answers

Lightweighting + Composites
As climate change continues to be one of the defining issues of our time,
a commitment to sustainable solutions is essential—now more than
ever. At Avient, we are proud to be a part of the solution, supporting
the shift from a linear economy to a circular economy and driving
sustainability for all of our stakeholders. We know designing sustainable
solutions often comes with challenges and questions. That’s why we
created a three-part eBook series that dives deeper into the questions
you have about sustainability.
Introduction

What are
composites?
Stronger together than alone
A composite is the resulting material made by combining two or more natural or artificial
components. The strength of a composite material is often greater than that of the individual
materials used in its making. Each component of a composite contributes a desirable quality to the
final product without completely losing its individual characteristics. For example, a composite can
offer the strength of metal with considerably less weight. In fact, some composites are 70% lighter
than steel while retaining an equal or increased strength.

Composite materials have many applications that can benefit businesses and the environment.
Widespread adoption of composites not only enhances a product and industry’s sustainability
profile, but often has practical advantages over conventional materials. The benefits of composite
materials can be applied to a variety of industries, from automobiles and swimming pools to
snowboards and prosthetic limbs. By making the things we use stronger, lighter, and more durable,
we help create more sustainable manufacturing and logistics processes that benefit companies,
consumers, and the environment.

SOURCES:
http://compositeslab.com/composites-101/what-are-composites/ http://compositeslab.com/benefits-of-composites/strength/
http://compositeslab.com/benefits-of-composites/lightweight/
Lightweighting & Sustainability

Why does
lightweighting
make sense
for sustainability?
Lower Energy Use
Some of the most common uses for composite materials are for automotive and outdoor
adventure and powersports applications. As mentioned previously, composites make it
possible to maintain (or even enhance) a component’s strength profile while reducing its
overall weight. Lightweighting means less energy is required to operate vehicles and transport
parts and products. This reduction in energy provides cost savings and decreases the
environmental impact of manufacturing and transporting vehicles and products.

SOURCES:
https://www.avient.com/company/sustainability
https://www.avient.com/reducing-weight-automotive-parts
https://www.avient.com/lightweighting
 Lightweighting & Sustainability

Reduced Carbon Emissions

Reducing the energy required to manufacture and transport vehicles and other
products can increase overall fuel efficiency while decreasing carbon emissions
and greenhouse gas levels. According to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), transportation and industry accounted for 52% of total greenhouse gas
emissions in 2019 in the United States. By using composites to lessen both the
weight of the transport vehicle and the weight of the products it is carrying,
companies can greatly reduce the carbon emissions associated with those
activities. For instance, the American Chemistry Council states that plastic
components make up 50% of a vehicle’s volume, but only 10% of its weight,
which further demonstrates the potential lightweighting can have on reducing
energy use and carbon emissions.

SOURCES:
https://www.avient.com/sites/default/files/2021-09/avient2020sustainabilityreport-9-2-21.pdf
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions
What are Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas. When released into the atmosphere, CO2

carbon
lingers there and creates a greenhouse effect that contributes to the increase of the
earth’s global temperature. Carbon emissions are a direct result of burning fossil
fuels for energy, like coal or petroleum-based products (i.e., gasoline and diesel

emissions? fuel). By reducing the amount of fossil fuel energy required to make and transport
products, we can decrease the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere.

SOURCES:
https://css.umich.edu/factsheets/carbon-footprint-factsheet
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions
What are carbon emissions?

How do carbon emissions accelerate

climate change?
When sunlight enters the earth’s atmosphere, a portion hits the earth’s
surface and reflects back towards space in the form of infrared radiation.
This infrared radiation creates heat. When CO2 and other greenhouse
gasses are released, the gases trap this infrared radiation and the heat
remains in the earth’s atmosphere. This increase in global temperature
contributes to climate change and climate-related weather events that
can be devasting to our communities and natural resources. Therefore,
the more carbon there is in earth’s atmosphere, the more heat is retained,
and the faster climate change occurs.

SOURCES:
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/energy-and-the-environment/greenhouse-gases.php
 What are carbon emissions?

Product Lightweighting
It’s a fact—the lighter a product is, the less energy is needed to transport
it. And as mentioned earlier, the lighter a vehicle is, the better its energy
and fuel efficiency. This combination of factors has the potential to create
energy savings in both the consumer and industrial sectors while reducing
environmental impact and enhancing sustainability. In particular, the
automotive industry has been driven to lightweighting vehicles by more
demanding CO2 emission regulations worldwide.

The process of lightweighting can have a meaningful impact without

fundamental changes in the way vehicles are powered. According to MIT,
lightweighting internal combustion engine (ICE) cars could have a more
significant and immediate emissions-reducing impact than lightweighting
electric vehicles (EVs) in some cases. This means the benefits of lightweighting
can be realized without overhauling the fundamental design of an ICE vehicle.
A mere 10% reduction in vehicle weight can result in a 6-8% fuel economy
improvement. This improvement can be accomplished by implementing
composite-based components into vehicle design and manufacturing.

SOURCES:
https://news.mit.edu/2019/lightweight-vehicle-electric-emissions-0826
https://blog.ucsusa.org/science-blogger/lightweighting-and-fuel-economy-in-vehicles/
https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/lightweight-materials-cars-and-trucks
https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/dotcom/client_service/automotive%20and%20assembly/pdfs/
lightweight_heavy_impact.ashx
 What are carbon emissions?

What reduces carbon emissions?

There are several ways to reduce CO2 levels in our atmosphere to help slow the
pace of global warming.

Nature
Trees and plants absorb CO2 and create oxygen as a byproduct. Foliage act
as natural mitigator of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and also create the
oxygen necessary for human and animal life. By protecting, maintaining and
growing forested lands, we can help offset some of the CO2 created by human-
centered activities.

SOURCES:
https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/planting-trees-reduce-carbon-footprint
https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/8/15/tree-planting-and-negative-emissions
 A flexible design option
How and why Most of the weight in a vehicle or a product comes from metal,
so replacing metal generally has the most significant impact on

do manufacturers reducing weight. But keep in mind, not all products and applications
have the same strength or lightweighting demands. Fortunately,

choose composites?
there are several types of composites available, such as long-fiber
thermoplastics and continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics.
Each has unique strength, weight, and cost characteristics to
give manufacturers flexibility when deciding how to design and
implement composite materials.

SOURCES:
https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/lightweight-materials-cars-and-trucks
http://compositeslab.com/composites-101/what-are-composites/
Composite Materials

What’s in a composite component?

Many artificial and natural materials can be used in the making of a composite. Nearly
all composites are composed of two material types: a fiber and a polymer matrix. The
fiber provides strength, stiffness, and reinforcement while the matrix protects the fiber
from damage and transfers structural loads between different fiber groupings.

Examples of Fiber: Examples of Matrix:

• Glass • Polyester
• Wood • Epoxy
• Carbon • Vinyl ester
• Aramid

In addition to the fiber and matrix, composites and composite assemblies may
also contain fillers, additives, core materials, or surface finishes that enhance final
appearance, performance, and/or manufacturing workability.

SOURCES:
http://compositeslab.com/composite-materials/
http://compositeslab.com/composites-101/what-are-composites/
 There is a wide array of manufacturers, products, and industries that can benefit
from the lightweighting advantages of composite materials. Explore some
examples below of products that were enhanced by the use of composites.

What kinds Snowboards

of products Composites can be used to manufacture snowboards that are strong, flexible,
and corrosion and moisture resistant. A simplified manufacturing process with

benefit from
consolidated material reduces volatile organic compounds, which are potentially
harmful chemicals and common ground contaminants, and labor-intensive
composite lay-up assembly.

composites? Snowboard Binding

Injection overmolding with continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastics enables
faster production and reduced energy use. This composite adds flexibility in the
binding without reducing strength and performance.
Applications

Fuel Tank Access Lid

A lighter-weight alternative to metal, a fuel tank access lid made
from a laminate composite can increase both fuel efficiency and
stiffness to meet load requirements and the demand for larger
part sizes.

Front End Automotive Module

Part consolidation and metal replacement on these parts can
reduce the overall vehicle weight by up to 8 pounds, resulting in
greater fuel efficiency and increased strength in crash testing.

Automotive Seat Handle

Using a laminate composite to replace the metal piece that’s
insert-molded into a seat handle component maintains
equivalent strength to metal while reducing weight and creating
greater fuel efficiency.
 Applications

Above Ground Swimming Pool

A laminate sheet composite reduces weight by 50% so pools can be shipped
to customers via standard shipping instead of coiled steel sidewalls that require
LTL (less than load) delivery.

Vibratory Conveyor Springs

A composite flat spring enables weight reduction, which leads to less energy
demand while maintaining high flexural strength and resistance to fatigue, heat,
moisture and chemicals.

Corvette Underbody Brace

A carbon fiber composite used in this part reduces weight by 17% versus
aluminum while increasing flexural stiffness and torsional (twisting) rigidity.
Applications

Rail Car Doors

Custom formulated polymers and a variety of structural core materials can help
this application achieve specific stiffness, strength, fuel economy, weight, and cost
targets compared to wood, steel, and aluminum.

Marine Panels
Continuous glass-fiber reinforced thermoplastic face sheets and polyester foam
cores create a high strength-to-weight ratio for lightweight, strong structural
performance and lower energy use.

Electrical Transmission and Distribution

Fiberglass and polyester, vinyl ester or epoxy composite profiles are up to 80%
lighter than porcelain, reducing energy use in transport, installation time, and cost.

Vehicle Interior Panels

Continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic tape and laminates can be thermally
bonded or adhered as reinforcement for traditional panel materials such as
honeycomb, foam, aluminum, and nonwovens. This, in turn, reduces vehicle weight
 Automotive and product manufacturers have realized that lightweighting is a powerful tool for making sustainable,
energy-efficient components. Below are just a few of the material solutions that Avient offers to help these companies
achieve their sustainability goals.

What are CONTINUOUS FIBER COMPOSITE PANELS

CRTM Composite Sandwich Panels
™
LONG FIBER FORMULATIONS
Complēt™ Long Fiber Reinforced Structural

material
GlasArmor™ Ballistic Resistant Panels Thermoplastics

Hammerhead™ Marine Composite Panels reSound™ NF Bio-Filled Polymer Formulations

solutions
Polystrand™ Thermoplastic Composite Panels
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNTHETIC FIBERS
CONTINUOUS FIBER COMPOSITE TAPE, Fiber-Line™ Carbon Fiber

for lightweighting?
LAMINATES AND BARSTOCK Fiber-Line™ Fiberglass
Gordon Composites™ Thermoset Laminates & Barstock Kevlar ® Para-Aramid
Gordon Glass™ Archery Bow Limbs Nomex ® Meta-Aramid
Polystrand™ Continuous Fiber Tapes & Laminates Fiber-Line™ PET Polyester Fiber

PULTRUSION AND CONTINUOUS FILAMENT

WINDING TECHNOLOGY
Advanced Composite Springs
Glasforms™ Continuous Filament Wound Tubes & Poles
Glasforms™ Pultruded Rods, Tubes & Custom Profiles
 Move Your Sustainability to the Next Level
Because sustainable material solutions and technology are evolving at
the speed of life, it takes fresh thinking, agile R & D, and imaginative use
of next-generation materials to bring life-changing products to market
safely and quickly. Connect with us to learn more about how Avient

Taking the can deliver specialized material solutions that keep pace with the
ever-increasing demands for sustainability.

Next Steps
Contact us today